Pissed That Sony Cancelled The Interview? You Might Be An Asshole
...Here's why.
Americans tend to be completely desensitized to the rest of the world. We live in a bubble where nothing really matters to us beyond our boarders and we remain blissfully unaffected and mildly sympathetic- pretty much only on facebook and other social media. Ebola was largely irrelevant until it came to America and suddenly everyone went into panic state. In reality, More men have been married to Kim Kardashian than Americans who were infected with Ebola... but while thousands died tragic deaths in the Sierra Leone, we had a virtual meltdown after a couple of cases appeared here. Social Media makes it easy to feign sympathy or interest.. it's as fleeting as a simple post where we link a news story and say "So Sad." Then post a gym selfie.
The rest of the world sees Americans as a shallow unaffected bunch who barely know the geography of their own country much less any other. We're considered rude, entitled and ignorant- much in thanks to our baffling ability to consistently keep rich, arrogant power hungry, old men in government offices who oppress us rather than liberate us. To some extent, it's even led some to believe we're a self-hating country, anti-progressive and quite literally "Backward." We favor sports over education and obsess over reality television. We lack social equality, pass mind-boggling laws that require insurance against rape and make medical attention in emergency cases elective if it opposes the medics religious beliefs. That's America. The conservatives love it. The rest of us find we have to keep pushing back for any room to breathe.
But we love our movies. Oftentimes, the more void of any substance or thinking power, the better. If you prefer anything else you're an arthouse snob. Of course, it would be America, an island unto itself, that would spend 42 Million dollars on a film that features two low-brow comedians attempting to assassinate a very real and controversial political figure with a lot of power and influence. Funny right! Ha ha.
Someone thought this was a fantastic idea. Despite the fact that the subject of the film in question was alive, and that he was quite dangerous, even on his own ground. This is a man who has very recently threatened the US with nuclear attacks. This is a man who has left death in the wake of his reign, including public executions of his own people and severe violations of human rights, which we Americans claim to covet. So, let's make a movie in which we mock assassinate him.
Not only does such an act of frivolous "entertainment" quite simply shit on the genuine reality and severity of the damage and countless lives lost and those - even now - suffering under this dictator, it plainly laughs about it. While we funnel money into movie tickets to sit in a comfy theater seat, there are people who have died because of this figure- and more who will. A film like this serves the exact sensibility that the rest of the world regards us with- Selfish, insensitive and blind to the turmoil that rages beyond our view.
Sony went and cancelled "The Interview" because of terrorist threats. Well, duh. We're making a film about killing a world leader, whether we like him or not is irrelevant. But, we're married to the delusion that life is nothing more than a South Park episode and thus, it's not real; It is instead a punchline that makes people like James Franco famous and makes Sony a lot of money for the funny. And, people are angry. Sony Pictures is being deluged by mail and protests calling them cowardly, claiming they are "bowing" to a terrorist regime. Is this movie that important to your Saturday night?
Let's say.. I don't know, oh somewhere in Topeka, Kansas, a theater showing The Interview is blown to shreds. A threat is followed through. Now it's real. Now, again, we're having terrorist activity on our soil. Now we will mourn and bloody images of ailing Americans will appear on the cover of every newspaper in the country with weeping journalism regarding the tragic loss of innocent lives. Just as the thousands of innocent lives that have been lost under Kim Jong Un's rule, these are senseless deaths... But now, it's us, and we will be angry! We will claim that Sony should have heeded the warnings! We will claim with complete certainty that now we are the victim.. because we are the ones who matter. The rest is all a subject for slapstick comedy. His crimes against humanity, of which it's been suggested he be charged with by the United Nations is just all one big farce right? A total joke, according to the filmmakers.
And apparently, to a whole lot of Americans threatening to boycott Sony over it's cancellation. One commenter on their facebook page fervently proclaimed "I've made up my mind, I'm buying an XBox One now instead of a playstation 4 because I am not supporting Sony anymore since they cancelled The Interview!" And, of course, other enlightened fellows jumped on the bandwagon.
And that seems to sadly punctuate the American ignorance of foreign relations and real terrorism. Spoiled and entitled brats angry that they can't have their toy because it dehumanizes and demeans the very real loss of so many lives because of Kim Jong-un. They don't get their 90 minutes of laughing at fart jokes and stuffing their faces with popcorn.
Are you the type of moviegoer who would be offended by a stoner-comedy about the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center? Of course, especially if you're an American. Because, that happened to us, so it is far more important. So, instead, we made made poetic and Oscar winning memorial films illustrating the tragedy and national impact. We highlighted the suffering of families and the devastation of the loss. Because we were the victims. So it matters.
And I don't recall anyone threatening to boycott HarperCollins when they opted not to publish the "hypothetical" book "If I Did It" by O.J. Simpson. Of course, we instead found it repulsive and simply audacious that this Man who murdered two people and walked away free would later write a confessional. Again, we witnessed that story, many of us, through the media. It happened to us, so it mattered.
But a Man who has murdered thousands and who is a legitimate threat to the safety of other Nations, including the citizens of his own, is mere fodder for an elaborate, 42 Million dollar funny-or-die clip, I suppose.
This is certainly not a dark day because Sony cancelled a film due to terrorist threats. It's a dark day because we have uncloaked even more racial tension and our own blatant stupidity and pretentious short sightedness that the rest of the world can only shake their head at as they observe our cocky outrage over a film.
Regardless, you know that our rebellious nature will send folks scrambling to see this film like it's a new age virgin birth. Already the controversial death scene has been "Leaked" online, likely by Seth Rogan who still struggles with the fact that he's not 15 anymore. I won't post it here out of respect to those living in fear and oppression this very minute in North Korea. But the video already has a million hits on YouTube.
Because it's funny. Right?
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